Western Union is the first global payments company to join The U.S.
Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The
Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payment
services, is teaming up with the Blue
Campaign, an anti-human trafficking initiative spearheaded by The
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Blue Campaign is the unified voice for DHS’ efforts to combat human
trafficking. Working in collaboration with non-governmental, private
organizations, law enforcement and the government, the Blue Campaign
strives to protect the basic right of freedom and to bring those who
exploit human lives to justice.
Western Union will provide the Blue Campaign’s multilingual training and
awareness materials to select Western Union Agent locations in the
Southwest border region and other areas in the United States. These
materials highlight the signs of human trafficking and how to accurately
report them. Participating agents will also receive additional training
from Western Union on how to detect a potential human trafficking victim
and how to involve law enforcement.
“Ending human trafficking is possible only if everyone steps in and
plays a role,” said Barry Koch, chief compliance officer for Western
Union. “We are committed to using the trust, reach and power of our
brand along with our Agent network to engage the public and arm them
with awareness and the resources to spot the signs and report suspect
activity.”
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of people for exploitation or
commercial gain. According to the International
Labour Organization, there are more than 20 million victims around
the world, including the United States*. Traffickers use force, fraud,
or coercion to lure their victims and force them into labor or
commercial sexual exploitation.
“Today, we are pledging to do more to combat human trafficking by
broadening our network of partners which will enable us to better
identify and rescue victims of this inexcusable crime, and bring the
perpetrators to justice,” said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security
Rand Beers. “We’re grateful to have the participation of Western Union
in this important effort, which will help save lives, protect innocent
victims, and prevent this form of modern day slavery.”
In addition to proactively working with local and federal law
enforcement agencies, Western Union and the Western Union Foundation, as
a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, have respectively worked and
supported several U.S. global organizations to combat human trafficking.
*Trafficking
in Persons Report 2012; U.S. Department of State
About Western Union:
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment
services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western
Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union
provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient
ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to
purchase money orders. As of September 30, 2013, the Western Union, Vigo
and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined
network of approximately 515,000 agent locations in 200 countries and
territories and approximately 115,000 ATMs. In 2012, The Western Union
Company completed 231 million consumer-to-consumer transactions
worldwide, moving $79 billion of principal between consumers, and 432
million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
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Source: Western Union